Printing device.



E. OCUMPAUGH, 2D.

PRINTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 1. 1914.

Patented Aug. 31, 1915.

$70$ NOT OVER $704 I N V E N TOR. umpauy/g 21ml.

ATTORNE V EDMUND OCT'JMPAUGH, 2n. orno'cnnsrnn, new roux.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedAug. e1. 1915.

Application filed October]- 1914. Serial No. 864.439.

Toailcchom it may concern.

Be 1t known that -I, EDMUND OCUMPAUGH, 2d, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in PrintingDevices, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to a printing device,

designed for use as a check protector, the device belng arranged forprintlng or em bosslng upon checks or other similar 1nstruments, words,figures, or marks, by which the said instruments or their values arelimited. The object of the invention is to provide a printing device ofthe character, equipped with a type Wheel or drum, around the peripheryof which is arranged several series of. raised type, and one end of saiddrum containing a circumferential index, comprising characterscorresponding to said type.

A further object is to provide a combined platen and ink-roller support,which is oper able for alternately impressing the paper upon the typeand re-inking the said type, the said ink-rollers arranged tocenter thetype in advance of each impression, but beng free from contact with thetype during printing operations.

A further object is to provide a novel and simple inking mechanism,which includes a plurality of revoluble inking pads preferably carrying.inks ofdifierent colors. And a further object is to provide means forpreventing the blending of the colors by the ink of onepad mingling withthat of an adja cent pad.

' The various features and parts of the in-.. vention will be understoodfrom the detailed description which follows, and by reference Figure 1is atop-plan viewof the device.

Fig. 2 is abottom-plan view of the same,

" with the cover removed. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section,substantially on line 33 of Fig. 7 is a similar view; snowing the saiding or'body having an open'bottom, which is closed by a detachable capor cover 3, the latter being renrovable for access to the interior,as'shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 3. The top of said body has alongitudinal slot 4, which connects at one end' with a circularopening5. Rearwardly of the slot 4, two lugs 6 are preferably formedintegrally on the top of the casing 2, and these lugs are provided withconcentric perforations to receive a shaft or pintle 7, whichsupportscertain of the operating parts. The top of the casing 2 is, alsoprovided with transverse slots 7 which are disposed adjacent. the lugs6.

The type-carrier comprises a cylinder 8, having a central hub 9, thelatter bored out to receive an arbor or shaft 10, the cylinder beingmade rigid on the arbor by a screw 11 which pierces one end of'the hub.The arbor containsan index consisting of figures or characterspreferably starting with a unit, as 5, and "then increasing irregularly,as 5,

10, 16, 20, and so on, up to any suitable higher number, as 1000. Theorder'or arrangement of the index-characters istunim- ;portant and maybe varied to suit the Work to be done by the machine. The flat ribs orrings 15,16 and 17 of" the cylinder 8 preferably conta'inflongitudinalrows of embossed printing type representin words and fig-' res, as forexample,'$10$ OT OVER $10$, $50$ NOT OVER 33, $200$ NOT OVER $200$, andso on, as may be desired. In the preferred form of the device the linesof the type, as described, are placed directly oppo-x line with thecorresponding num- 110 site or in bers or characters of the index 14,and the several lines of type are selectively brought into printingposition, by the turning of the knob 12, until the desired indexcharacter, as 10 (see Fig. 1) appears in the center of the pening 5directly opposite an arrow 17 The printing or impressing of the typeupon the aper, such as a check or other instrument, which may be placedin proper position over the slot 4, is effected by a platen 19, whichmay consist of a compressible material, such as rubber or leather, or itmay consist of a harder substance, such as wood or metal. The platen 19is inserted in a groove 20 arranged longitudinally in a rib -2l, whichdependsfrom a relatively broad arm 22, of a bell-crank or lever 23, thesaid lever having depending lugs 24, which are pierced b the rod orpintle 7, upon which the said lever is pivoted. 25 represents acoil-spring carried by the rod 7, which exerts its tension for holdingthe arm 22 of the bell-crank and also the platen 19 lifted above thetype-wheel 8, (see full lines in Fig. 3).

To make the impression of the type upon the paper, the operator strikesthe free end of the horizontal arm 22 of the bell-crank, a sharp blowwith his hand, at the point indicated by the arrow 22. This depressesthe said arm andforces the platen and paper against the face of thetype-line which happens to be in the printing position indicated by thearrow 17, (see dotted-lines in Fig.

3). The impression of the typewill then appear on the paper, as shown inFig. 9.

The inking of the type carried by the cylinder 8 is effected by aplurality of roller pads, as 27, 28 and 29, which may consist of anysuitable ink-absorbing material, such as felt. The felts of the severalinking rollers are mounted upon spools 30, each having a hollow center30, and the said rolls are loosely journaled upon a shaft or rod 31,which is considerably smaller than the centers 30, so as to' allow thesaid rollers a certain amount of lateral play while in contact with theribbed surface of the type cylinder. The ink rollers are positionedrelatively to the cylinder 8 so that when said rollers liebetween anytwo adjacent lines of type, the line of type selected for the printingof the check will be centered with the arrow 17 which is the printingposition. It is often desirable to use inks of different colors forprinting each line of type on a check, such as red and black (see Fig.8), and in order to prevent the said colors from blending, due to theclose arrangement of the inking-rolls, I provide washers or guards 32which are interposed concentrically between the ink rolls 27, 28 and 29.These washers have a greater diameter than the said rolls, and aredisposed so that their peripheral edges lie in and follow the grooves13. By this arrangement the ink of one roll cannot mingle with the inkof the adjacent roll, and the said washers also prevent the diiferentcolors from flowing onto the adjacent type. The ink rollers aresupported by similar depending arms 33 of the bell-crank, the lower endsof said arms being provided with slots 34, in which the ends of the rod31 are journaled, and the said slots are preferably disposed at an anglewhich inclines rearwardly from the cylinder 8. By this arrangement ofthe slots 34 the ink-rollers may be readily placed in the workingposition either before or after the cylinder 8 is applied to the casing.Owing to the inclination of the slots 34 of the levers 33, the rearwardmovement of said levers breaks the contact between the rolls 27, 28 and29 and the type cylinder 8 an instant before the platen completes theprinting stroke. By this arrangement the type cylinder is free to movein either direction a sufficient distance to insure a fair and fullcontact between the platen and the face of the type. This is intendedfor correcting any slight discrepancy which might occur through theautomatic centering effected by the inking-rolls, as described and italso prevents imperfect impressions which are noticeable in some of theformer devices of the class, due to the fact that the centeringmechanisms are in' constant engagement with the type cylinders, whichtends to hold the said cylinders too rigidly during the printingoperations, whether or not the face of the type and the impressionsurface of the platen are exactly parallel. When the arms 33 move awayfrom the cylinder 8, as during the quick and sharp printing stroke ofthe platen, the inclination of the slots 34 prevents the inking-rollsfrom being accidently disconnected from the bell-crank. At eachimpression stroke of the platen, the lower ends of the arms 33 swingrearwardly, as from the full to the dotted line position shown in Fig.3, and this movement being greater than the lateral movement allowed forinking rolls, the washers 32 strike against the back wall of the casingwhich forces the ends of the rod 31 forwardly in the slots 34, as shownin Figs. 3 and 7. By thus loosely journaling the inking-rolls in theslots of the lever 33, there is no strain upon the said levers duringthe printing operation, and the inking-rolls will therefor rotate freelyfor presenting new surfaces to the type after each printing stroke.

My improved printing device is extremely the inking mechanism eliminatesseveral v parts formerly employed for doing the same work, and therebylessens the danger of the working partsgetting' out of order.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is new and desired tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a printing device, the combination with the casing, a revolubleprinting cylinder journaled in said casing and having printingcharacters embossed upon its periphery, of a combined platen andink-roll support comprising a rocking member pivoted above said cylinderand depressible by hand for bringing the platen into engagement withsaid characters and for moving said ink rolls away from saidcylinder,and a spring for raising said platen and for again bringing the inkrolls into engagement with the cylinder.

,2. In a printing device, the combination of the casing, a printingcylinder journaled therein having separate rings of printing charactersthereon and rotatable in either direction, a bell-crank pivoted on saidcasing, a platen supported by the horizontal arm of said bell-crankcentrally above said cylinder, a plurality of inking rolls carried bythe depending arm of said bell-crank, said bell-crank rockable inopposite directions for alternately moving said platen and said inkrollers toward and from said printing cylinder.

3. In a printing device, the combination with the casing, a typecylinder journaled in the casing having circumferential rings ofembossed type, a platen, and an ink-roller for each of said rings oftype,'of a bellcrank pivoted above said casing, one arm of saidbell-crank supporting said platen directly over the center of saidcylinder, the

- other arm of said bell-crank supporting said ink-rolls below saidcylinder adapted when rocked in opposite directions to alternately movesaid platen and said ink rolls toward and from said type.

4. In a printing device, the combination with the casing, a printingcylinder journaled in said casing rotatable in either direction andhaving type'characters thereon, a platen movable vertically toward andfrom said cylinder, and inking-rolls movable laterally toward and fromsaid cylinder, of a bell-crank pivoted above said cylinder, one arm ofsaid bell-crank supporting said platen the other arm of said bell-cranksupporting said ink-rolls adapted when rocked in opposite directionstoalternately move said platen and said ink-rolls toward and from saidcylinder.

Gopies ofthis patent may be obtained for disengage the ink-rolls fromsaid rings, and

means for automatically rocking said bellcrank in the opposite directionfor moving said rolls toward said rings and for simultaneously liftingsaid platen away from said rings.

6. In a printing device the combination of the casing, a printingcylinder journaled therein having separate rings of printing charactersthereon and rotatable in either direction, a bell-crank pivoted abovesaid cylinder, a platen carried by one arm of said bell-crank, aplurality of independently rotatable inking-rolls carried by the otherarm of said bell-crank, means for resiliently holding said platen aboveand free from said cylinder, said bell-crank rockable in oppositedirections for alternately moving said platen and said ink rollerstoward and from said printing characters, and means interposed betweenthe said rings of printing characters for preventing the ink depositedon one ring of printing characters from mingling and blending with theink deposited on the adjacent rings of printing characters.

7 In a printing device the combination with the casing, a revolublecylinder journaled therein and having lines of printing charactersthereon, a platen disposed above said cylinder, and a revoluble inkingmechanism, of a common support for the platen and said inking mechanism,comprising a bell-crank operable by hand for depressing said platentoward one of said characters and at the same time moving said inkingmechanism away from a difierent line of said characters, and a springfor actuating said bell-crank for freeing said platen from the saidcharacters and at the same time moving said inking mechanism intoposition to contact with all of the characters when said cylinder isrotated.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDMUND OCUMPAUGI-I, 2n.

Witnesses:

HERMAN H. ScHoPFER, HARRY DE WALLACE.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington,D. G.

